My On Call Room Occurrence
by Bells of Tomorrow
Summary: I watch with a raised eyebrow as he makes his way out of bed. My eyes focus in on his own, but here’s the thing: His eyes aren’t focused at all, and holy crap...is Newbie sleep walking?


**_A/N:_ **_Hey, guys! This idea popped into my head literally out of nowhere. I tried putting it on hold, but it insisted upon being written, so here we go. lol Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing._

**My On-Call Room Occurrence**

When I first started working here, I was nervous for a number of reasons. Some of them were obvious, of course. Realizing I didn't know jack, the feeling of being alone, not knowing who was the good guy or who was the bad guy, the responsibility for peoples lives and, well…pretty much everything that comes along with being a doctor.

The thing is, I never told anyone, not even Turk, what my other reason was for being so nervous.

The on-call room.

See, most new doctors are uncomfortable with that room at first anyway, especially the doctors who are a little high maintenance. (I remember when Elliot first asked one of the nurses' if the on-call rooms' beds were cleaned and made up after each individual use. The woman actually threw her head back and laughed out loud) Now me? I didn't mind the messy beds or the other people restlessly trying to sleep all around me. The thing that I was nervous about the most was this: When I was little, I was a bit of a sleep walker.

That's right. I used to sleep walk.

I had this horrible fear that I was going to fall asleep in the on-call room one night during break, then suddenly wake up lost and confused in the middle of the hospital; people pointing and laughing all the while. Or worse: Somebody would see me and think that waking me up was the best idea possible. You are _not_ supposed to wake somebody up when they're sleep walking. Though I guess in since this place is full of doctors, whoever found me would have known not to do that. But what if it was the Janitor? What if he woke me up thinking it was funny, or what if he led me to a ditch in my vulnerable state?

So yes, I used to down coffee even more than I do now, because I hated the very idea of me leaving the on-call room in a sleepy haze to be stared at or mocked by the surrounding doctors and patients.

But as time passed, I finally found myself comfortable enough to sleep during my breaks. See, my sleep walking was caused by stress, or at least that's what my doctor told me when I was younger. But after seven years of working here, I'm sure I would've slept walked by now if it was still in my system, right? I mean, once I actually allowed myself to sleep in the on-call room, nothing ever happened. I never woke up stranded somewhere or with only my boxers on or anything humiliating at all. I mean sure, I'm a little more stressed than usual, what with passing Sammy back and forth and everything. Making sure he's taken care of properly before rushing in here to take care of patients, etc, etc – but I mean, c'mon! Seven years and not a single incident of sleep walking.

So I let my head fall against the pillow and close my eyes, a small smile creeping onto my face as I savor the one hour of sleep I'm being allowed tonight. Thank god for the on-call room, am I right? I breathe a sigh of relief before sinking further into the mattress. I know I'm right.

--

I'm completely wired on caffeine, but I'm sure as hell not giving up my only break on this hellish night shift, even if I _won't_ be able to sleep for a second. The likely hood of someone bothering me when they know I'd kill them over any disturbance during my one and only hour of rest is very, very slim.

So here I am, the on-call room. I hurry in quickly, making sure not to slam the door and startle whatever poor bastard is finally being allowed to sleep as well, even if I am slightly envious that they're able to do what I currently can't. I throw my body down on the nearest bed and lay myself out in my all time favorite position: Back to the mattress, eyes to the ceiling, and both arms crossed comfortably behind my head. Even if I can't go to sleep, I can still rest a little. So believe it or not, yes – I'm okay with this.

Incoherent mumbling suddenly draws my attention to the occupant of the bed next to mine, and whaddya know? If it isn't Carol herself; fast asleep and dreaming of unicorns and candy canes, no doubt. But I'll admit, the kid's had it pretty rough lately. He's been handling a crap load of patients, and today, an older woman he'd been getting pretty close to (though I had warned him several times, as always, not to get too close) coded and died. And while I'd never say it to him or anybody else, I was proud of him. Any moron could tell how much it hurt Newbie, but after silently sipping the coffee that Gandhi had gone ahead and bought for him, he picked himself right back up and carried on with his work.

He's been a pretty decent father so far as well, yet another thing I'll never permit to escape my lips. I mean, sure – he's a Newbie at that too, but whenever I see that baby strapped to his chest, well…Newbie glows. Which isn't very surprising, considering how much of a girl he really is, but still…

It's at that very moment that said girl sits up abruptly. So abruptly, in fact, that I actually jump a little. "Geez, Patricia, did the boogey man scare you that much? Go back to bed, will ya? You still have a good half hour of sleep left."

But for one reason or another, he's not responding. Not jumping all startled like at the sound of my voice, not blushing in that girly way he always seems to pull when I catch him in the act of whatever embarrassing situation he'd fallen into at the time. Hell, he's not even mumbling incoherently anymore. Just silently staring ahead.

And I am not a man who likes to be ignored.

"Newbie, do you hear me or what? Go back to sleep or head on back to work. Make a decision, because unless you're under those covers, voice silent and face turned away from my line of vision, then I'm not sure how much longer I can stand your presence, because I've had one hell of a shift so far and – Newbie, where in the hell do you think you're going!?"

The kid has apparently taken to sleeping with his scrubs top off. Not a big deal, but if he really _is_ going to head on back to work, he can't just waltz out of here half naked.

I watch with a raised eyebrow as he slowly but surely makes his way out of bed, and for two seconds, my eyes focus in on his own, but here's the thing: _His_ eyes aren't focused at all. They're glazed, his lids drooping ever so slightly, and holy crap! Is Newbie…is Newbie _sleep walking?_ "Hey…Newbie?" I can hear the tone of my voice soften by just a bit, because I'm pretty certain I already know the answer to my question.

My suspicions are confirmed when he continues for the door, completely unphased by my presence; his ears not even twitching in recognition of my voice.

Part of me wants to laugh out loud, but I decide to save that for later. For as long as the kid's worked here, I never caught site of him sleep walking, but if this is going to be a new habit of his, I need take control of the reigns.

I quietly stand from my position on the bed, suddenly much more aware of how loud I'm being. You don't need a doctor to tell you, you shouldn't wake up a sleep walker, but he's getting closer to the door and I need to stop him. Fast.

I pick up the pace with a phantom like silence as I reach him just in time. I'm sure not to touch him from behind, not wanting to startle him awake, so I just stick to standing in front of the door; arms crossed in front of my chest like some great barrier he can't quite seem to get pass.

There may be some accuracy to that metaphor.

He bumps into me then, but not too hard. He blinks, unseeing, but his shoulders openly slump as he murmurs something unintelligible. Okay, so he's not going to try and escape the on-call room again, but how am I supposed to lead this kid back to the bed without waking him up?

I guess I have a bit of coaxing to do, huh…

"Newbie," I whisper softly. I'm not used to talking like this to anybody except maybe my kids, but damn it – I can't just leave him alone like this, can I? No, I really can't. "JD," I try again, the name awkward but not particularly horrible on my tongue.

He looks up at me then, his attention finally drawn to my voice, and while he acknowledges the sound of someone calling him, it still doesn't register. This is what I'm aiming for though: Getting him to follow me without waking up in the process.

"Okay, Newbie," I whisper in the most soothing voice I can possibly muster. It feels strange, but the kid doesn't even realize he's being talked to. He's just…following. Well, kind of anyway.

I back away from the door and walk in front of him, my own back turned towards the beds as he slowly moves away from the door to follow my frame. I gradually hold out my arm, still being very careful to not startle him awake. I wave my hand a little, beckoning him to follow the gesture. "C'mon, Newbie."

He just stands there staring, but then he begins mumbling again, and I'm finally able to make out what he's saying. "Tired…" He drawls off into something else entirely, but that one word gives me enough information to get him to listen to me.

I make a "follow" gesture with my hand again, and he blinks, as if noticing it for the first time. "Tired, Newbie? Do you want to go to bed…?" It sounds condescending, but for once, it's not supposed to be. I'm trying to go for gentle here; soothing. And thankfully, I think its working.

He's a little more aware now, but fortunately still asleep. Some of what I said seems to penetrate his haze as he nods slowly, eyes still glazed over from whatever dream world he's currently living in.

However, he's still not moving to follow. Damn it, I'm going to have to do this manually, aren't I?  
Very, very slowly, I reach for his hand. He doesn't even flinch as my fingers curl lightly around his wrist, pulling him just one step at a time towards my general direction. He falters on his feet for a moment, mumbling something else, but my free hand is quick to steady him by the shoulder. Now he's back to blinking lazily, completely unaware of where we are.

"Atta boy," I whisper quietly, suddenly very grateful that we're the only ones in the on-call room. "Stay with me, Newbie; just listen and follow, alright?"

He leans into me a bit, as if he's going to fall back into normal sleep mode right then and there, and now his forehead is pressed up against my chest. I go to gently pull him away, still trying to lead him towards the bed, but he suddenly turns his head to look over his shoulder at the door. He raises a hand and points, and I'm able to make out just a little bit more of what he's been mumbling. "Candy…cave…inside…"

Dear God, was he _really_ dreaming about candy!? To think I had been joking. Well, kind of. It's really not all too surprising…

But still, it's admittedly amusing. I allow myself to let out a small snicker as he continues to look longingly at the on-call room's exit. I'm pretty sure telling him there's no, what was it exactly - "Candy Cave," - is going to be too big of a realization and wake him up, so I'm stuck with playing along. "You can go in there later, alright?"

"Candy…" he murmurs again.

"Newbie, no. We'll go get some later, okay? Just come with me for now."

He turns back to me, confused. But then he nods, accepting my instructions as if it's some great master plan for his candy expedition. I roll my eyes before finally getting him to follow me back to the bed.

Once we're there, I get myself behind him and put my hands on his shoulders. I press down gently, easing him back into the mattress. He mumbles something else, but he doesn't argue when I push on his chest to get him to lie down. "Go to sleep, Newbie." He blinks at me again, and manages a sleepy, oblivious smile right before he falls back into unconsciousness.

Once I'm sure the kid is finally back to sleep, I allow myself to laugh just a little more. Newbie's an idiot, okay, but that was just priceless. I have to admit though: I'm slightly…concerned? Sleep walking may be a problem if no one's here to rope him in, and the likely hood of the two of us landing the same break time is pretty low. And what made the kid start sleep walking anyway? There could be a number of factors that caused this, and damn…I'm going to have to confront him about it when he wakes up, aren't I?

I scrub a hand over my face in mild annoyance. Yeah, I'm going to have to ask. Even worse, I'm going to have to arrange a few things with Kelso as well.

Damn it, Newbie, look what you're making me do!

--

_I'm here! I'm finally here! It's been a long journey, but I've finally made it to the Candy Cave. Yes! Turk is going to throw me a party when I come back with handfuls of diabetic chocolate. Elliot and Carla will most likely complain about all the weight they're going to gain, but then they'll undoubtedly join in on the fun. And hey! If I grab a little of everything, I might be able to find something Dr. Cox likes too. Maybe if I bring him back just the right candy, he'll finally give me that hug. Score! Okay, okay…have to concentrate._

_I'm so close to the entrance now. Almost there, almost there - BAM! What the hell? Something's blocking me! I can't see anything though. Invisible force field maybe? Aw, man! What am I supposed to do now!? Well, I could always camp out just a few feet away from here, right? I am a little tired from traveling so far, and I could always figure out how to get past the entrance in the morning. _

**"JD."**

_Whoa! Where did that come from? Did the invisible force field just talk to me? I look up to where I heard my name, but I still don't see anything. Yet, I feel like someone's here, and that voice _does_ sound familiar. _

_I turn around, my back to the cave's entrance as I scan the area for another presence besides myself._

**"C'mon, Newbie…"**

_'Newbie?' I blink, and suddenly I can see Dr. Cox, even if he does look a little fuzzy. Wait, Dr. Cox!? Did he come here to help me break down the invisible barrier? Wow! That's awesome! Still…I was getting fond of my, "Waiting till tomorrow morning plan." I'm pretty tired now, and the idea of sleeping is more than a little tempting._

**"Tired, Newbie? Do you want to go to bed…?"**

_Hey, how'd he know!? Well, he _is_ my mentor. He can probably just tell, right? He makes a motion for me to follow, and I go to, but – ah! Candy ooze is surfacing from the ground, sticking to the bottom of my shoes. I can't move!_

_I suddenly feel his hand on my wrist, and he's pulling. Crap! I'm gonna fall! Oh wait, he caught me! Wow, Dr. Cox is being really nice today. I wonder why? Ah, who cares? I'm certainly not complaining. _

_Crap, I think he just said something else, but I can't really hear him anymore. I'm _really_ tired now. What happened to all of my energy? I stumble again, but only a little. Something stops me from falling – Dr. Cox maybe? – Nah, whatever held me back is really warm. Still, where'd he go? If we're going inside the cave tomorrow, I'm gonna need to know where he is. _

_That's when I remember how far I've traveled just to get to this point, and I'm suddenly not very sure if sleeping right now is the best idea. I turn back around to look at the cave's entrance. "There's candy inside that cave, Dr. Cox! Should we really just turn around and leave…?"_

**"You can go in there later, alright?"**

_Ah, there he is! I was worried for a second. But still… "Are you sure? The legends all say there's _lots_ of candy in there."_

**"Newbie, no. We'll go get some later, okay? Just follow me for now."**

_I guess he's right. The cave isn't suddenly gonna get up and walk away if we decide to get some sleep for a little, right? I turn to him and nod, agreeing with the plan and happily surprised he's even helping me out to begin with. Wouldn't want to push it by arguing with him now, would I?_

_I follow him back to the campsite and crawl gratefully into the sleeping bag. Right before I'm about to go to sleep, I see him standing above me, staring. Wow, he doesn't even look mad today! Maybe it's the idea of free candy that has him in such a good mood._

**"Go to sleep, Newbie."**

_Oh, right. Sleep. I give him a quick smile before I let my eye lids fall. Sleep is…sleep is good._

--

I watch as Newbie moans into his pillow, the sound of his pager alerting him that break time is over. I'm sitting on the bed right across from him, arms folded against my chest and waiting for him to notice I'm here. He's not getting out of this room scott free. After all the crap he's made me do during _my _break, he better be sure to answer the questions I've got waiting for me.

It's not until he sits all the way up does he notice me. "Oh," he mumbles sleepily, rubbing at his eyes for a moment. "Hi, Dr. Cox. Did your break just start?"

"No, Newbie, no it did not. My break started not too long after your own, and while it remains true that I wasn't going to get a minute of sleep anyway, I was still looking forward to not being bothered, and maybe, just _maybe,_ getting _some_ form of rest. But after saving your ass from strolling out into the open half naked, I had to go down to Bobbo's office and see if I could make some arrangements."

He stares at me for a moment, clearly taken aback, but then his eyes widen with sudden realization. "Did I…did I sleep walk?"

"Yes, Newbie, you did."

I roll my eyes at the very obvious blush that takes over his whole face. God, Newbie, you are such a girl. "Listen, Lillian, I didn't let you leave, alright? And for one reason or another, I'm not _entirely_ up to mocking you about this. Just answer me one question there, Newbie: When in God's name did these nightly adventures start taking place?"

He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, making sure to avert his gaze from my own. "I, uh…I used to sleep walk when I was little, but, um…it hasn't happened since."

"And did you ever find out why you 'used' to sleep walk to begin with?"

"My doctor told me it was stress related…"

_Figured,_ I think to myself. "Is that so… Tell me, Newbie – are you really one hundred percent better from your patient's death earlier?"

He's hesitant, but he finally shakes his head no, his gaze never once leaving his sheet covered lap.

"And what about Sam? I bet taking care of him is _extremely_ easy, right?"

He finally looks up at me then, and it's hard not to feel just a little guilty, what with that embarrassed look he's sporting. "Look here, Newbie. These little ventures of yours will pass, but if you know something like this is caused by stress, the first thing you have to do is _admit_ that you're stressed, alright?"

He nods in acceptance, finally realizing I'm not after his dignity.

I get up to leave, allowing him a moment to regain himself, but right before I reach the door, I remember my earlier conversation with Bob. "Oh, and Newbie? If you're worried about whether or not you're going to go frolicking through the hospital in your tighty whities one night, don't be. I've arranged it with Kelso so that, for the next couple of weeks, our breaks will be at the same time. I'm gonna have to strap a bell around your neck of course; to make sure I'm startled awake if you _do_ choose to get up and wander, but at least you won't wake up half naked in the middle of the hospital. Are we clear? Or would you rather me just sit back and enjoy the show."

I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing. He looks completely and utterly surprised, but clearly grateful, that I'd go ahead and do that for him. (And to be honest, I'm a little surprised myself) But then his blush turns a deep crimson as he is, undoubtedly, imagining me strapping a bell around his neck.

"Th-That works," he stutters nervously.

"Okay then."

I leave the on-call room and walk over to the nurse's station, imagining Newbie with a bell around his neck all the while. I allow myself a small smirk as I pick up my next patient's chart. I had been joking of course, but the more I think of it, the funnier it becomes.

…

Nah.

**_Fin_**

**_A/N:_ **_Just a silly little idea that insisted upon being written. Hope you guys found it amusing!_

**_P.S._**_ – My Hypnotism is being worked on, never fear. I just had to get this one out there before it beat on my brain anymore than it has been. lol Until next time!_


End file.
